What kind of parent tells their child that they cannot play with balloons, kites, balls, or toy airplanes?
Either horrible, mean parents or loving, caring parents who happen to live in Israel near the Gaza Strip.
Why would caring parents instruct their children not to go near balloons, kites, and other toys? Because beginning in 2018, Palestinian terrorists began sending Gaza balloons and kites laden with explosives to harm Israelis, spark wild fires, and weaken Jewish morale.
Hamas has even established special units tasked with producing and launching them.
The Simplicity of the Gaza Balloons
Literally thousands of hectares in southern Israel have been set ablaze by improvised incendiary devices from from Gaza. Many are made up of simple, commonly available balloons — made of rubber or latex, or even condoms — which are filled with helium. Then, burning rags or an explosive device are attached. Terror kites are made by simply tying several sticks together, covering them with a plastic sheet and attaching a mesh carrying fuel.
When the wind blows into Israel from Gaza, the balloons and kites are released. While most land in the vicinity of the Israel-Gaza border, one balloon landed in Beersheva, about 40 km from the Strip.
Some Gaza balloons have been designed to spark multiple fires by repeatedly drip fireballs as they float over Israel. Bomb disposal crews are frequently called to defuse explosives found attached to balloons and kites. In one incident, a rocket-propelled grenade warhead attached to balloons was found in a kibbutz field.
Between July and September 2018, Gaza balloons and kites sparked an average of 12 fires a day. The fires they triggered have caused terrible ecological damage to Israel – destroying over 6,000 acres of forests and farmland and killing massive amounts of wildlife. Experts say that the damage to the ecosystem will take a decade to repair.
‘We Want to Provoke the Israelis’
An 18-year-old Palestinian terrorist involved in these Gaza balloon attacks told ABC News Australia, “We want to provoke the Israelis more, so we attached a burning rag to the kite. Thanks to God’s will, the thread was cut and the kite fell on the other side and started a fire.”
He also told ABC that a kite costs just $1 to make and that balloons cost just 50 cents. That’s far cheaper than the Qassem rockets, which are said to cost Hamas $800 apiece to produce.
This young terrorist also told ABC that if they don’t cause 15 to 20 fires per day then “we don’t consider this a good day.”
© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025
